Akatsuki Academy of Art
by Muse16
Summary: I knew he was impatient. Taking a deep breath, I blurted it out. Not able to see his reaction, I waited anxiously for what he would say. I heard a sigh, then a single, mumbled word. "Pointless." I was pointless to him. AU
1. The Acceptance Letter

_Hello Littluns,_

_This is my first story I will be posting on FanFiction._

_I had to write one for the Naruto universe, as it is my favorite._

_I do hope you enjoy my words and ideas, which are the only things I own in this story, aka, Naruto is not mine._

_That was a disclaimer, for you information._

* * *

My hands were shaking. It was quite unusual for me as I have always had steady hands, but right now, you would have never guessed with the way the paper I was clutching in my tight grasp was near impossible to read due to the tremors.

I, however, knew all too well what was printed onto the thick, crème colored paper. I understood exactly what those words meant.

After all, they were the reason I was shaking.

_Dear Miss Colton,_

_We are pleased to inform you that your application has been accepted and are delighted to welcome you to the Akatsuki Academy of Art._

_Enclosed in this packet is more information about our school, a calendar of important events, and a list of supplies that have been deemed necessary by our student body._

_Congratulations, and we hope to see you at the new student meeting on the tenth of August. If you have any questions, please contact us through our online website._

_Sincerely,_

_Nagato Pein, Dean of Students_

I had not even gotten so far as to check the rest of the orange delivery packet to confirm the existence of the other papers. The words floated off the page to meet me in my daze.

_"…We are pleased to inform you…"_

At least they were pleased to inform me. They could have been mad about it. I know I would be to have to handwrite hundreds of letters to different students. I'd be downright grumpy.

_"…that your application has been accepted…"_

I took a deep breath in through the nose, exhaling out my mouth. I couldn't believe it.

Putting the letter down, I methodically checked through the rest of the packet's contents, not really seeing them. This was my last week of public school, now that I had been accepted. I had to say goodbye to everyone, just like I usually would, but this time it would be permanent. Next year I would be starting the Akatsuki Academy of Art for what would have been my eleventh year of high school.

I would have to say goodbye to all of my good friends that I had known since I was little; we all grew up together. But I wasn't going to give up on this great opportunity, so I have to do it, no matter how hard it will be.

But there was one person…

…One person I'm not sure if I should say goodbye to…

…Or confess to.

I blushed just thinking about it.

Sliding the papers back into their envelope, I put them on top of my desk for further evaluation. Lying out on my bed, I steeled my resolve. Should I do it? It's not like he would reciprocate my feelings. I don't believe I have ever even really had a full conversation with him, but I loved him anyway. I really did.

Yes, I was going to do it.

It was now or never, anyway.

He has a right to know.

I was going to confess my love.

* * *

I was such a failure. A total, ultimate, huge failure.

Come Monday morning, and I was able to at least tell everyone that I had been accepted, and that this would be my last school year with them.

But I still couldn't tell him.

Tuesday spoke the same.

As did Wednesday.

On into Thursday.

Still no confession.

I had totally and utterly chickened out. Today was Friday, my very last day of school here, not only that, but it was the end of the day. I had seen him all throughout the day, but I couldn't build up the courage. And now, here I was, waiting for him at the end of the hallway as everyone left the school, and I was still thinking about bailing.

It was my last chance, though; I couldn't have this regret hanging over my head for all of eternity. So I rooted myself to my spot, knowing that he always passed by here to get home. It was like clockwork. Every day after school let out, he and maybe one or two of his friends would walk down this hallway, passing this classroom door that I was currently standing in front of.

I really hoped he didn't have one of his friends with him. It would be embarrassing enough with just him. Gosh, I couldn't believe I was finally doing this. But I had to. There was no point in keeping it a secret anymore, as I would never see him again, but I had to tell him, just to let him know…

However, there was one problem.

Where was he?

I scanned the hallway quickly, but to no avail. He was supposed to come down this hallway, and judging by how few students there still were milling around, he would have usually passed by now.

A little bubble of panic fluttered my heart. It's probably nothing. He is just saying goodbye to his friends, making plans to meet up over the summer.

Ten minutes later, however, when the hallway was completely empty, I wasn't singing the same tune.

The little bubble had slowly grown into a waterfall of emotions. This couldn't be happening, not on my last day, when I had finally built up the courage. Was fate so against me?

I took off down the hallway, looking through each and every classroom glass window, down every side hallway. He had to still be here. He couldn't have left!

But with each hallway I found empty, with each darkened classroom, the more and more it seemed that he had.

Twenty minutes later, and I collapsed.

In the middle of the hallway, my legs gave out. I barely felt the pain that should have registered when my knees banged against the hard tiled floor. I started sobbing. Embarrassing, really, crying over something so frivolous, but at the time it felt like I was being crushed.

I couldn't believe… I wasn't able to confess…

I had waited too long.

I was such a coward.

I only knew that time had passed when I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. They eventually stopped right in front of me. I could see white tennis shoes and the ends of khaki pants, the clothing for our school uniform.

Realizing how stupid this whole situation was, as it was no doubt a student standing in front of me, I wiped at my eyes with the back of my sleeve.

"S-sorry," I mumbled, looking up.

Brown eyes. Warm brown eyes.

Red hair. Scarlet red hair.

Scrambling up to my feet, I bowed deeply. "S-Sasori-sama!"

My heart pounded as I kept my bow, eyes screwed shut. I couldn't believe it. He was right here. I was given a chance to confess… I would have rather we met in a more dignified manner than me bawling my eyes out, but I'd take what I could get.

"Ah, hear that, danna? She said 'sama.' Girl's got the hots for you!"

My eyes snapped open as a voice spoke that I knew was not Sasori's smooth, deep one. This one was higher-pitched than Sasori's, but still deeper than most, and playful sounding. But why was he calling Sasori 'danna?'

"Shut up, brat." I winced at the name before I realized he wasn't talking to me. "And you, quit bowing."

I straightened up immediately. "Of course, Sasori-sama."

That's when I was able to get a full view of the two of them.

Sasori was as handsome as ever, brown, almost apathetic eyes, heavy eyelids, and beautifully unique red hair that looked so soft to the touch…

Then there was this other guy. I had seen him hanging around Sasori before. I believed his name to start with a 'D,' or something, but I couldn't remember his full name. He had long blonde hair, half of it tied up while some obscured one of his blue eyes. He and Sasori appeared to be pretty good friends, if the pet names were any indication; though I wish he wasn't here…

And that reminded me of the reason I was looking for Sasori in the first place.

I tried to look at Sasori in the eyes, but I couldn't do it. Wringing my hands together, I looked at the floor.

"Um, S-Sasori-sama… I, uh, have to t-tell you… Th-that…"

"Spit it out." Sasori demanded impatiently.

"Right, right…" I knew he was impatient. Better make this quick. "I… um… You see…" Well this isn't going well. I decided to rip off the bandage quickly. Taking a deep breath, I blurted it out.

"Ilikeyouverymuch!"

Somewhere in there, my eyes had closed again at their own accord. Not able to see his reaction, I waited anxiously for what he would say.

I heard a sigh, then a single mumbled word.

"Pointless."

Then footsteps.

They walked away from me, leaving me there after just confessing to Sasori. He even called it pointless…

He called my love pointless.

He called me pointless.

I was pointless to him.

I distantly heard Sasori's friend as they turned the corner at the end of the hall. "See? What did I tell you, hm?"

* * *

_So that's that._

_Did you like? If you did, than I'm glad. I don't see how you couldn't, though. This story has Sasori in it._

_May you always have a place to sit,_

_Muse_


	2. The New Student Meeting

_Hello Littluns,_

_So, dammit, and all that._

_I apologize for taking so long._

_Please enjoy my, albeit very late, words that I own everything about except Naruto._

* * *

Summer plodded along with no meaning. There was nothing to do. There was no homework to complete for next year, and my friends were off on their summer vacations. I spent all day in my room doing nothing of particularly anything. It wasn't really boring or relaxing like summer break was supposed to be. It was just time passing with nothing of any interest breaking up the long intervals of weeks blending into months.

It was the first summer that I actually looked forward to school.

The first event that broke me from my summer comatose was the new student meeting on August the tenth.

* * *

Stepping off the public bus that I had ridden for the last several hours, I quickly walked a good distance away from it so I wouldn't be in other peoples' ways who were also dismounting. I had only been here once before for the interview, during which I saw only a sliver of the school grounds.

But as I followed the steady crowd past the front gate towards what appeared to be a small gymnasium, I took the initiative to try and memorize everything I saw: the old buildings that had been redone to seem new, the winding gravel passageways leading from building to building, and the most interesting of all, the thick mist that seemed to permeate the air even in the middle of August. It wasn't a heavy mist, though, but a clear and refreshing one that promised rain.

Entering the gymnasium, I saw that there was very little seating in the small area. In fact, there didn't appear to be any chairs left. I walked off to the side where some other latecomers were milling around and waited for the meeting to begin.

Scanning the crowd unconsciously, a flash of red caught my eye. Looking towards it automatically, I saw someone lounging out in one of the chairs. They were wearing a bright red shirt.

I mentally berated myself for being so stupid.

"Good evening,"

I along with everyone else looked towards the stage where the voice had come. A man stood in the center of the stage. His hair was an alarming red that made my breath catch in my throat before I realized it was darker than… His. The eyes, however, were something like I've never seen before. They were a pale violet color, and ringed around the pupil. He was also tall and very skinny, giving him a somewhat emancipated look.

First reaction:

Absolutely terrifying.

"I am Nagato Pein, Dean of Students." He calmly spoke, all the while completely silencing the crowd without asking for quiet. "I welcome you to the halls of the Akatsuki Academy of Art. No matter what the reason, you all are here today for one main goal: to create art. Art comes in many forms. Art will never cease to exist. Art is something worthwhile. That is why this school was created, to carry on the creating of masterpieces."

He paused for a bit, casting us all under his searching gaze.

"It is in human nature," Nagato continued, "to strive for beauty. People crave to see something that they consider beautiful. Let that motivate you all, upcoming students, to create what you desire so that it can, and will be, appreciated."

Again, he stopped, seemingly to see if anyone would say anything. When no one spoke, he bowed quickly. "That is all. The campus is open for visiting as well as the dorms. If you have any questions, please speak to one of the teachers. You are dismissed."

It wasn't until the Dean vanished from sight behind the stage did people start moving again. I found it odd no one applauded; even the conversation noise build-up was slow. The Dean did seem to just leak the essence of power and authority, though. His words were true and held great meaning, but the man delivering the words was so solemn and cold. Some of the parents were whispering because they believed talking was too loud after such a speech.

And that he actually dismissed us instead of letting us wander out on our own...

His terror rating just went up.

* * *

The cardboard box bounced slightly as I let it fall onto the bed. It was a good thing that bus hadn't left yet. I had completely forgotten about stashing the box under my seat.

I looked around my dorm room. It consisted of a single twin bed off to the left with a nightstand next to it. On the opposite wall was a desk while a wardrobe stood in the far right corner, next to a window.

It wasn't much, but I was grateful enough I didn't have to share a room with anyone on account of the school having such a small number of students, yet it was still so well-funded.

After allowing procrastination to take over, I decided to unpack the big box of sheets, towels, and the like later. I could put it off for a few days, in fact, as the first day of school didn't actually start until next week. I instead walked over to the single window. Opening the blinds, I peered out. I was at the very top floor of the building at three stories high and would have had a good view of the grounds if not for the mist. I watched as the blurred outlines of people wavered around the grounds. Some were in large groups, others all by themselves.

I lazily tried to decipher what objects were what through the mist. A vague, tall outline appeared to be a tree of some sort in the distance, while a low to the ground horizontal figure below it was a bench. It wasn't until I looked across the small courtyard that was in front of the female dorm rooms to the male dorms on the other side did I see anything of any notable value.

A window on the same level as my dorm appeared to be open, and when I say open I mean to say the glass had been pushed out to the side. It was hard to tell through the mist, but I could faintly see the figure of someone standing in the window. Pressing my face to the glass to see better, I huffed in frustration when my breath fogged up the window. Wiping it away with my sleeve, I looked back at the window.

That's when a beam of sunlight broke through the gray clouds.

That's when the mist seemed to vanish for a split second.

That's when, in that split second, I saw a flash of the person's hair.

Red hair.

Scarlet red hair.

Before I could be sure of what I saw, I jerked away from the window as if I was burned, scrambling to close the blinds. When they were covering the window again, I backed away from it slowly.

This can't be happening…

Not here…

Why would he…

No.

No, I refused to believe it. It could have been anything, really. Hundreds of people could have the same hair color as… Him. It was even more possible that it wasn't even hair but clothing of some sort like what had occurred during the meeting.

Any number of things could better explain what that was than what my first thought had been.

I felt myself already begin to relax as my doubt grew. That's right. Of all the places, why here? Surely not.

I lightly hit myself on my head. I was being stupid again, jumping to such irrational conclusions.

With an uncertain smile, I turned back to the box on my bed.

I suppose I could start unpacking now.

* * *

A few hours later, I was walking out of the girl dorms. I had finished unpacking all the bare necessities that had been in the box. When I came back next week to start school, I would bring another box of clothing and toiletries.

I had all but forgotten about the sight at the window while I had busied myself with unpacking, but seeing the boys' dorm again just brought it back to the forefront of my mind no matter how hard I tried to fight it.

But I couldn't stop myself from glancing at that third floor window.

It was closed.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I continued on my way to the bus stop just outside of the gates of the school, my step a little lighter than before.

There was no way he would be here.

It was impossible, implausible, and totally unlikely.

I was stupid to think that even for a moment…

Just a moment…

That Sasori could be here.

* * *

_So, littluns, a cliché moment? Yes. Yes it was._

_Anywho, with Christmas Break starting, I will update soon._

_I promise._

_Last time was a fluke._

_How many times do you forget your birthday, ACT testing, and midterms are all the same week?_

_I pray only once in a lifetime..._

_May you always be on time,_

_Muse_


	3. The Alarm Clock

_Hello Littluns,_

_So... Yeah..._

_I don't own Naruto, obviously._

_Enjoy._

* * *

A few days later found me back at the Akatsuki Academy of Art in my dorm. It was the first day of school, and there was one problem.

It was the first day of school.

And I had slept in.

Rushing from one area to the next in my little room, I wildly pictured myself as a mini hurricane in my haste to get ready. When I had finally laced up my last shoe, I raced out of my room, barely remembering to close the door behind me. My messenger bag bounced painfully against my hip as I ran to my first class, but I barely took notice. I was too busy cursing my flakey alarm clock. If you bumped into it, the nightstand it was on, or the very air that surrounded it, it would mute itself. Obviously, that wasn't good.

And obviously, that is what happened today.

Exiting the girls' dorm into the chilly morning air, I found myself simultaneously praying to any deity out there that I would make it to class on time. Class started at eight a.m., and considering I woke up at around ten till, give or take a few minutes, I was allowed a little freak out.

I whimpered slightly as every building's windows I passed showed students in classrooms. Coincidentally, there was no other student racing as if their life depended on it to homeroom. It was the first day, after all. It was very important.

I poured on the speed, wishing I had joined the track team at my old school when my sides started burning. Why did my homeroom have to be so far away? Was I even going in the right direction?

We had gotten our class schedule yesterday, and I had lazily walked to each of my classes, not really paying attention. I had thought I would have plenty of time in the morning to trace my route again...

A shape suddenly loomed up from out of the mist in front of me. I ran right up to the front door, checking the plate that hung on the wall next to it. Satisfied that this was the right building, I threw open the door and tore off down the hallway. My eyes slid from one classroom door to the next, looking for the correct one.

Room 3.

I swear I heard skidding noises as I slid to a stop before turning down a different hall.

Room 6.

Did I even turn the right way?

Room 8.

Thank you deities!

Smiling in relief, I reached out to pull open the sliding door the rest of the way as it had been left cracked open. I was reaching my hand into the inch-wide gap between door and doorframe when it happened.

The door slammed shut.

Right onto my hand.

I inhaled sharply as I cringed, yanking my hand out of the pathway of the door. Holding my now throbbing appendage close to my chest, I watched through moist eyes as the door bounced back from where it had hit my hand, slowly sliding open.

One glance at the laughing faces had me looking determinedly at the ground. I walked into the room slowly.

"Ma, sorry about that." I peeked up to see a younger looking man rubbing the back of his head ashamedly. Going by the name-tag pinned to his shirt, I concluded he was my homeroom teacher. "I didn't think anyone else was coming." He smiled at me then, checking his watch, "But, you made it on time, and by the skin of your teeth, too! Or should I say fingers..." He glanced pointedly at my hand. "You okay?"

I laughed nervously, realizing and appreciating his attempt to make me feel better. Dipping my head in his direction, I nodded. "S-sorry, it won't happen again, Sensei."

A hand suddenly clapped down on my shoulder, making my knees buckle slightly. "Great! Glad to hear it. Now, take a seat, and we can get started."

Still hearing some chuckles from my fellow students, I quickly located the nearest empty desk. With my eyes still glued to my feet, I zoomed to the chair. Sitting down, I took off my messenger bag and laid it beside me. Only then did I finally look up.

"Alright! My name is Tomi Tanaka, your homeroom teacher for this year. I am also your soon-to-be most favorite teacher. You can count on that!" When no one really said anything, he seemed to deflate slightly. "Whatever, you'll learn to love me... For now, we will take roll."

With a great flourish, Tomi Tanaka pulled out a clipboard, no doubt with the roster on it. Clicking a pen, he called out the first name. When he wasn't satisfied by the level of enthusiasm in the students' voices, he would threaten to mark the person tardy. I zoned out, checking over my still pained hand. It had some skin peeled off near the knuckles, and would probably bruise, but was otherwise just fine.

All of a sudden, I heard two words. Two little words.

Who would have thought two words would have enacted so much confusion, fear, worry, anger, sadness, and regret all in the span of a few seconds.

"Sasori Suna." Tomi-sensei read off the list. He looked up, scanning the room. "Where are ya?"

Then, a voice answered. One so smooth and beautiful, one that I hadn't heard in such a long time but could never forget, that my brain almost short-circuited.

"Here."

And as if my poor neurons could take anymore, they had to work frantically to help process the fact that the wonderful voice was coming from directly behind me.

My shoulders tensed, and I immediately folded in on myself. I bowed my head, frantically twiddling my fingers in my lap. This couldn't be happening... Oh Lord, could this year have started off any worse?

"Well, that could have been more enthusiastic... But, I digress." Tomi-sensei marked off something on his clipboard. "Okay... Next, Mai Colton."

So I asked for it.

Why the hell wasn't he going in alphabetical order?! Was he just trying to mess with me?! As if I could make any noise that sounded even relatively close to a word from the English language right now! Not with...

Not with Him...

Sitting right behind me...

My mouth opened in a vain attempt to answer. How long had it been since my name had been called out anyway? Seconds, minutes, hours? I didn't even know anymore... My track of time had been thrown off kilter with those two little words.

I distantly heard the sound of a squeak. Was that a mouse? Did we have mice in here? Well, it was a pretty old building, despite being so well funded. They should get some traps. We had mice at my old house. I almost stepped on a trap before. You gotta be careful with -

Oh wait.

That was me.

What was that bright light? Did someone have a flashlight? That's a weird thing to bring to the first day of school -

Oh wait.

I had blacked out.

I had _really_ asked for it.

* * *

_Yup. That's how I'm ending this chapter._

_I have spent the time I usually do for writing chapters with writing out plots; therefore, the chapters should come out faster. _

_If not, whoops. I'm not making any promises._

_May you always have a good school nurse,_

_Muse_


End file.
